Hiribarren addresses the issue of presentism in historical writing in an African context. The region of Borno in Nigeria is well known for being the cradle of Boko Haram and many analysts have tried to understand the reasons behind the numerous terrorist attacks since 2009, the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in 2014, or the renewed jihad in West Africa. Writing the history of the northeastern corner of Nigeria remains difficult because of the ...